Leaf binding device



April 22, 1941. E. N. FARKAS 2,239,036

I LEAF BINDING DEVICE ori inal Filed Oct. 17, 1938 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 April 22, 1941.

E. N. FARKAS LEAF BINDING DEVICE Original Filed Oct. 17, 1938 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Apr. 22, 1941 LEAF BINDING DEVICE Emil N. Farkas, Chicago, Ill., assignor, by direct and mesne assignments, to Emil N. Farkas, Chicago, Ill., as trustee Original application October 17, 1938, Serial No.

235,381. Divided and this application April 27, 1940, Serial No. 331,919

5- Claims.

This invention relates to new and useful improvements in devices for assembling marginally perforated leaves in the general form of a book. This application is a. division of my co-pending application Serial No. 235,381, filed October 1'7, 1938.

The object of this invention is a device for a very simple binding means for marginally perforated leaves.

In order to explain the nature of the invention certain embodiments thereof will now be described,

In the drawings, Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a book assembly bound in accordance with the invention;

Fig. 1a is a side elevation of the book of Fig. l bound and closed;

Figs. 2 and 2a are perspective views of modified embodiments of the improved binder;

Fig. 3' is a perspective view of the mechanism of the invention; and

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the bottom portion of the assembling mechanism.

Referring now to Fig. 1, I indicates the leaves which it is desired to bind together into a. book. The leaves are provided with marginal perforations 2, preferably though not necessarily of rectangular outline. 3 is one of the paper covers of the book, in one edge of which integral fingers 4 are formed. The fingers are of such width and 3 are so shaped and spaced as to project through the perforations 2. Near its end each finger has two lateral slanting slits 5 extending from the edges and the purpose of which will be explained presently.

A binding strip 6 is placed against the righthand top leaf I, the strip being of such width and length as completely to cover the marginal perforations 2. In alignment with each perforation, the binding strip 6 is provided with a slit 1 of such dimensions that a finger 4 may be forced therethrough.

To bind the leaves I together the fingers 4 of the cover are pushed through the perforations 2 and through the slits I in the binding strip ii. The fingers 4 project far enough so that the lateral slits 5 will be past the binding strip ii. The ends 8 of the fingers 4 are bent up along the line of the slits 5. With the ends of each finger 4 thus deformed, the fingers are pulled back until the portions adjacent the slits 5, which have been distorted out of the planes of the fingers, contact with the binding strip 6. The distorted portion which catches against the binding strip 6 will be further deformed, as illustrated in connection with the first two fingers in Fig. 1, so that prongs 9 will be formed therein. These prongs will prevent the withdrawal of the fingers from the slits I.

The binding strip 6 may be left loose or it may be secured to the cover 3. The cover 3 is rotated on top of this right-hand top leaf. Assuming that the left-hand top leaf I0 is also a cover sheet, we will now have a complete book, as 11- lustrated in side elevation in Fig. 10..

As shown in Fig. 2, the fingers serving as the binding need not form integral parts of a complete cover 3. In the structure here shown, the fingers 4a are integral merely with what corresponds to a binding strip 3a. and their ends cooperate with a binding strip 6a in the same manher as the ends of fingers 4a. cooperate with binding strip 6. The assembly of the book by means of the binding shown in Fig. 2 is accomplished in the same manner as shown in Fig. 1, except that two adjacent end leaves are the cover leaves of the book. After the fingers 4a have been laced through, the binding strip 3a and one end leaf are rotated over into contact with the strip 6a and adjacent leaf, so that the two covers assume the same positions as shown in Fig. 1a. The two binding strips 3a. and 6a may be either left loose or the two may be fastened together, and they may also be attached to a leaf or a cover sheet.

A further modification of the structure is shown in Fig. 2a, in which the fingers are locked against withdrawal from the paper strip by an L-shaped integral end formed in the fingers, the projecting part of which was folded back and held generally in the plane of the finger while it was being pushed through a slit in the binding strip. The folded ends are permitted to spring into the positions illustrated after the step of guiding them through the binding strip had been completed.

It will be noted that in all these modifications shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 2a, in effect a ladder-like structure is present, the rungs of which are constituted by the fingers, one side by the binding strip 6 and the other side either by the cover 3 of the book or by the strip 3a. At least one of the sides of this ladder-like structure. i. e., the side 6, is removable. The method of binding together the leaves of the book may be practiced simply by forming a ladder-like structure either as an integral part of one of the covers, or otherwise, without, however. attaching one of the sides to the rungs, then passing the open ends of the rungs through the perforations, and finally locking the rung against withdrawal from the detachable side. The manner in which the ladder is assembled and locked together can, of course, be

against withdrawal from the binding strip and the perforations, may be practiced by hand or by any suitable mechanism. One such mechanism is shown in Fig. 3. As here illustrated, the cover 3 or the comb 3a, as the case may be, is placed between two plates l5 and I6 which may be clamped together by any suitable means. The cover 3 is placed with the fingers 4 projecting beyond the edge of plate 15. Semi-rigid guiding or supporting fingers l8 are fastened to the edge of plate l5 at right angles to the top thereof and spaced at the spacingof fingers 4. Corresponding and cooperating steel fingers [9 are fastened to the edge of top plate IS. The steel fingers I8 and IS in this specific embodiment are narrower than the fingers 4, and they are so placed and spaced with respect to'one another that when the plates l5 and I6 are clamped together, the

paper fingers 4 will be tightly held between the st l fingers l8 and IS, the cover 3 being at the san.'e time held between the plates I5 and i6. When structureslike Fig. 2a are applied, the steel guiding fingers need not be narrower and serve to hold the projecting end folded back. This assembly may now be placed on top of the stack of leaves I and the paper fingers 4, guided by the steel fingers l8, l9, pushed through the perforations 2 and the slits I in binding strip 6 which is below the bottom leaf I.

The leaves I and strip 6 rest on a bottom plate 20 having a row of pockets 2|, one in alignment with each perforation 2. The fingers 4, l8 and 89 are long enough so that when assembled as above described, they will project through the perforations 2 and slits I and down to the bottoms of the recesses 2 I. Near the bottom of each recess two prongs 22 project from the back wall thereof, as viewed in Fig. ,4. These prongs are in alignment with the edges of the paper fingers i which extend to the two sides of the steel fingers iii, 39, and as the assembly is forced past these prongs, they will distort the paper at the laterally cut portions into substantially the same form as shown in Fig. 1.

The top I 6 is then removed as is the bottom plate 20. The cover 3 is then rotated into the position indicated in Fig. 1a, whereupon the bottom plate it can be removed.

Since in its preferred form the book itself, as well as the binding means, are of paper, it would be practicable to bind into book form large sheets and, after binding, cut them up into smaller sizes each of the small size cut-off portions constituting a complete book already bound together. In other words, a number of books placed side by tions of the clamped fingers out of their planes side can be bound together in one operation and then severed from one another, each severed portion being a completed book.

It will be obvious to those skilled in the art that instead of the arrangement here illustrated, any other suitable mechanism may be used to thread the fingers 4 through the perforations as the clamped fingers are pushed through the perforations.

2. In a device for binding together leaves having marginal perforations with flexible fingers held together at one end, relatively rigid clamping means for said fingers to guide them through the perforations, and means for moving portions of the clamped fingers out of their planes.

3. In a device for binding together leaves hav ing marginal perforations with flexible fingers held together at one end, relatively rigid clamping means for said fingers holding them substantially throughout their lengths with relatively small portions projecting beyond the clamping means, a plate on which said leaves rest and having recesses in alignment with said. perforations and with the fingers, the length of the latter being such that when inserted through the perforations of the leaves, their ends will reach into said recesses, and projections in each recess to distort the projecting portion of said fingers out of the plane of the finger when the clamped fingers are pushed through the perforations into said recesses.

4. In a device for binding together leaves having marginal perforations with flexible fingers held together at one end, relatively rigid clamping means for said fingers holding them throughout their lengths with the lateral edges projecting to the two sides of the clamping means, a plate on which said leaves rest and having recesses in alignment with said perforations and with the fingers, the length of the latter being.

such that when inserted through the perforations of the leaves, their ends will reach the bottoms of said recesses, and prongs projecting into each recess above its bottom in alignment with the laterally projecting edges of said fingers to distort portions thereof out of the plane of the finger when the clamped fingers are pushed through the perforations into said recesses.

5. In a device for binding together leaves having marginal perforations with integral fingers projecting from a cover sheet, each finger being laterally slit near its end, two cooperating plates for clamping said cover sheet with the fingers projecting beyond the plates, guide fingers projecting from the plates and adapted when the plates are assembled to clamp the integral fingers of the cover sheet throughout their lengths with the lateral edges projecting to the two sides of the guide finger assemblies, 2. bottom plate on which said leaves rest and having recesses in alignment with said perforations and with the finger assemblies, the length of the assemblies being such that when inserted through the perforations of the leaves, their ends will reach the bottoms of said recesses, and prongs projecting into each recess above its bottom in alignment with the laterally projecting edges of said integral fingers to distort portions of said integral fingers near the lateral slits out of the plane of the finger when the finger assemblies are pushed through the perforations into said recesses.

EMIL N. FARKAS. 

